Thomas Schieb, German ambassador to Serbia, said that the future of the Western Balkans is in the European Union, reiterating the bloc's general stand that the entry would be based on merits, TV N1 reported.

Schieb was addressing a two-day regional conference “Western Balkans 2030 - visions, wishes, reality,” opened in Belgrade on Wednesday.

The conference, organized by the German-Serbian chamber of commerce, would tackle issues of the region’s European perspective and the challenges on its way to the bloc’s membership, including political, economic and social aspects of the regional countries.

“Don’t expect me to tell you where the Western Balkans will be in 2030, but one doesn't have to be a prophet to know that its future is in the EU. How fast the region will move forward depends exclusively on the speed at which the countries will solve the problems and the burning issues, but the admission will certainly be decided based on merits,” ambassador Schieb said.